The Witch Haven
Frances Hallowell is a 17-year-old seamstress working long hours in 1911 New York. Assaulted by her boss as she works late one evening, she is amazed when her sewing shears bury themselves five inches into his neck. He is dead, which solves her immediate problem, but the following morning the police arrive to interview her. Out of nowhere, an ambulance appears, and its two nurses declare her a tuberculosis patient and whip her off to the Haxahaven Sanitorium.
But it isn’t a hospital for tubercular patients, it’s a school for witches, run by the strict Mrs. Vykotsky. Frances attends classes in the various aspects of witchcraft and makes friends with Lena and Maxine, but she never forgets her brother William, who has disappeared in mysterious circumstances. She plans to use all her new-found knowledge to discover the truth about his disappearance. This leads her and her new friends to a series of adventures that tests their nascent witchcraft skills to the limit.
But delving into the truth behind her brother’s disappearance brings Frances disconcerting interludes with a couple of his friends. Worse, it brings her into the purview of ancient dark forces who will stop at nothing to access her special powers.
This novel for readers age 14+ takes a detailed look at the varied aspects of witchcraft. The classes and instruction in each aspect make witchcraft seem almost like some of the more boringly routine aspects of science. Despite stronger opposition to Frances and her mission and stakes that are ever higher, the adventures that at first make this 448-page book a thrilling read rapidly become less than exciting.
